Dreams are seldom what they seem
by rosen-fenrir
Summary: She had a dream when she was young and innocent; when she hadn't known betrayal and true love was real... Was it ever meant to be? / First Maleval fic, mentions of Stephan and a glimpse of Philora.


_Hello! This is my first Maleficent/Maleval fic, so i hope i did it justice, at least a little bit... English is not my first language so please forgive any grammatical error I may have come across... enjoy!_

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When she dreams; she's free, she's fearless. There, nothing can hurt her or make her feel like she doesn't belong. At times, it feels better than flying, because there are no worries that weight her down; no one to look at her horns and her big wings and convey with a look how different she is from the others. She can pretend that it doesn't hurt her. Sometimes she dreams of her parents, how they love and support her... looking over her and the Moors. Of many other Faeries with curved horns, and feathered wings, mightily soaring through the Moors; their quick shadows hovering over the green scenery until their feet touch the ground. She feels good when she dreams, like she's truly part of something.

Being a child means she can imagine many things, many worlds, and many different realities in which everyone she loves is happy. But being close to her teen years, she would soon dream of love and companionship.

When the dream starts, she's a grown Faery; her wings touch the ground as she walks and they carry her over the strongest winds… Suddenly she sees a glimpse of Him, and knows he is the One, like only one does in a dream. He's standing before her, same as she is… with great black wings and wild hair of the same shade. He has no horns, but then again, no one else has them but her. She tries to reach him every time, and every time she wakes up not knowing him. Wondering if she'll ever get to see him properly; until one night, she gets to look at him … only once. She calls for his name, and in doing so, he turns around and she can see his silhouette in contrast with changing skies. He has a funny-looking nose and dark eyes; but somehow, that's all she can remember of his face afterwards. He extends a hand to her and she takes it. Soon, his wings start beating slowly, making him hover slightly, the horned Faery follows his lead and they dance together. She has dreamt of dancing before, when she dreams of her parents… the Fae folk have their own traditions and the Hovering is as good as a Waltz may be for the creatures that live beyond the Moors.

So she leans on him on her dream, careful not to harm him with her horns, and after a moment he whispers in her ear, all raspy voice but soft words: "Let's fly love". And so they do, for so long and so little time… as she wakes up with a smile on her face.

Maleficent sits up on her nest, feeling her heart beating a bit quicker than normal… Visions are seldom all they seem, but she can't help to start thinking about Him and she gets to a conclusion: He's the one for her. Absentminded, she fiddles with a twig of her nest, and a while later she decides to make little figures of her dreams: of herself, and her one true love. That same day, she would meet a human boy. A boy with dark hairs and a funny-looking nose; he didn't have wings, but after he tossed away his iron ring for her sake, she felt like he had to be the one she meet on her dreams… her true love.

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><p>It hurts to breath. It hurts to move… it just hurts to live. There's no other way she can put it. So she just waits inside the ruins of the castle, waiting for the raven-man she saved to tell her anything that might shine some light into why she is suffering such a twisted fate. Waiting gives her purpose, and upon waiting she starts to ponder on things. There is a side of her that thinks Stephan had nothing to do with what happened to her; because he wouldn't hurt her, because after many years they still love each other. And there's this other side, perhaps less naïve, that screams at her to open her eyes. There is not one single creature on the Moors that would have the nature to hurt her; and the only creature that would do such a thing, was the only man there. She tries not to think too hard on it, not until she's sure he's alive, so she turns her troubled thoughts to the bird she saved.<p>

Why did she save the raven? It would seem she did so because she saw a helpless creature at the mercy of one of the beasts called humans; but did she truly save it? It was a mere raven, a clever and noble bird indeed; but she turned it into a man, a disgusting creature, full of greed and hate and many other terrible traits. In her defense, she stalled. She thought about not doing so, but would there have been any other way of saving him? After growing and shedding her innocence, she soon learned the way men looked down on other creatures. It would seem the biggest enemy of a man was another man; and after looking at the way the farmer ran away, it stayed true.

The fact remained though, that Maleficent stalled, and the reason seemed clear now… she didn't want to take his wings, she didn't want to take his freedom. She did it though and there was nothing she could do to change that, because the raven… no, Diaval was no longer the same he had been before. He appointed himself as her servant, and if she was sincere… she was going to need him.

And so she waited, until the flap of wings caught her attention. The raven stood before her, and with the sway of her fingers he was no more, but a man. Maleficent could properly see his transforming now. The way his body and wings morphed into a bigger figure, a featherless creature with cold eyes… except his eyes were not the way men's were. They were black as the night, but she could see the noble bird in them, not greed. Other tale-tell signs of his transformation were the scars on him, as they were marked like feathers, and his long beak was now a weirdly-shaped nose. She would have thought more about this, if he hadn't outright told her that the man she trusted, her so called "true-love", had a crown and a kingdom now.

It hurts like she's being ripped apart, limb by limb, and she decides at last that there's no true love, only nightmares.

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><p>The moment she makes her entrance, Maleficent knows no one will ever forget how she cursed the princess, how she will make the King suffer, and so it gives more confidence to her stride. Even so, the chance of something else happening, is great. A soldier could throw her out and prevent her plan to going the way she wanted, inspiring fear on the beasts around her; or try to stab her with iron, and she would have been dealt with. However, Diaval starts flying circles around her, as if he's somewhat protecting her of the crowd, and she can only feel thankful for it. The beats of his wings somehow reassuring her, reminding her of the reason for her presence on the throne room. As she talks, he poses himself on her scepter, and she feels less lonely on a world where she stopped being like the other Faes, where she became the wicked being that will curse an innocent beast to hurt another.<p>

He's at reaching distance now, so she strokes his feathers in thanks. And she realizes she's done this before, when she made her throne on the Moors. He's become a constant in her new life, and she is grateful for it, even though she may never tell him so.

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><p>The beastie is turning 8 years old in a few days, and Maleficent can't help but think that it's been too long already. Almost half the time of the Curse has passed, and the little beast has almost died a hundred times because of the ineptitude of the 3 faerys she calls aunties. If she was anything but stoic, she would have snorted at that. Instead, she rests her head on the bark of the tree she's sitting on and lets a soft sigh part her lips. The wingless fae doesn't like to wait, but she's become quite the expert at it; she knew she'd have to patient if she wanted to see the suffering on Stephan's face, after all. This time, she's waiting on Diaval to come back to her after playing with the beastie. She only allows it because he also brings the estranged princess some berries and other kinds of food, and he better do it properly, otherwise the little human would have starved long ago and then her Curse would have been for naught.<p>

There are times Maleficent worries after him. Diaval seems to think of himself as a sort of father-raven to the beastie, when all is said and done, Maleficent knows he'll suffer. She's tried to persuade him out of his affection for the child, but as obedient as he is, he won't stop taking care of her. It sort of reliefs her to know that turning him into a man didn't change his noble nature, that he stays true to himself despite doing her bidding. And as much as he calls her Mistress she knows he's not only a servant, but a confidant of sorts, and if she's honest with herself, he's a very good companion if 7 or so years speak for themselves.

Pondering upon it, she hears the beat of his wings and turns her gaze on him. He brings her some berries on a twig, and she can't help but smirk slightly. Diaval poses himself on the thick branch to her left and with a swirl of golden magic, Diaval the man is sitting next to her.

"Here Mistress, these are very good". He's gotten better at the timing on being transformed, so he doesn't struggle on the branch and hands her the twig that was caught on his mouth. Maleficent takes them with nod and props one on her mouth, biting into the fruit. He's always thoughtful on bringing some food her way too.

"Good indeed, Diaval. Now, tell me… what news of the pixie idiots and the beastie?" He gives her the reproachful look and she can almost hear what he's thinking; however, he soon starts to tell what's being going on the cottage that day. Maleficent does listen, but from time to time she'll let her thoughts wander while he talks, and she finds his voice soothing enough to not worry about falling off the tree. It's been their routine for years now. She asks him, he answers and they head home afterwards. Then a new day starts and she'll patrol the land while telling him to be back at noon at the cottage; and he'll keep her company sometimes, and she's grateful for it.

As she hears his raspy voice tell her of the many things the 3 inept caretakers have done wrong now, she wonders about his servitude. He's done many things for her now, she could easily call the debt paid and relieve him of his duty to her… but she won't, at least not yet. She needs him, and yet she knows he'll want to fly away from her as soon as she tells him to. Even if he didn't get tainted by the form he's in, she still forced him to change his nature. As this thought crosses her mind, she slowly starts gripping the sleeve of her dress, and her eyes fly to the marks on his face. Years ago, she had worried the shifting did indeed hurt him, but Diaval had reassured her that those so-called scars did not pain him. Out of her thoughts, she suddenly noticed he wasn't talking and her eyes flew right into his, they were peering at her as Diaval was trying to read her.

"Are you alright Mistress? For a moment it seemed as…" Looking away, Maleficent interrupted him. "Have no fear Diaval, I'm merely tired. We should head home soon" He nods and waits for her to change him. When she doesn't, Diaval turns to look at her again. She's struggling to say something and he notices.

"Diaval, tell me. Does my turning you into other beings cause you pain? And I don't mean the marks; you didn't quite answer me that time". She can feel his eyes on her face, and without looking she knows he's angling his face to the side like he would were he in raven form. "It feels like I caught my feathers on a rock, every feather…they pull at me for a moment. And my beak grows shorter as if I've fallen directly on the ground". Maleficent feels her pose slump a bit as she hears his companion, feeling guilty of all the times she has forced him to change. She's about to apologize, when he keeps talking. "Do not worry, Mistress. For every time I change back to my beautiful self, it's like I'm hatching from my egg all over again… born anew" She can feel him smile now, the way his voice softens at the last words. So she nods and with a sway of her fingers, he's born again.

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><p>The Moors haven't looked this beautiful for such a long time that Maleficent feels guilty all over again from taking that away from its inhabitants. Everything is back into place now, or at least, as much as it's possible. Aurora is the ruler of both the Moors and the human Kingdom, and what a queen she'll be. The most kind and graceful there's ever been, and as much as she feels doubtful of Prince Philip, she knows he's a good young man, and he'll help Aurora on her many duties on the Human Kingdom. That, and Diaval is always alert on whatever happens around his nestling, as he calls her. Maleficent turns to her left to glance at him and sees the proud look on his eyes, looking down at the beastie from the cliff. She can't help but chuckle softly, gaining his attention.<p>

"Is that a laugh I hear, Mistress?"Maleficent shakes her head a bit, her long hair brushing her back. "Not at your spite Diaval. Not really at least… I have told you before; you can stop calling me that… You saved me at the castle so we are even, you vain bird." She finishes her sentence with one of her names for him. Stealing a look at the raven turned man, she can gauge his reaction; he's the one chuckling now… with that familiar cawing-tone, his silhouette profiled against the changing sky. The winged faery remembers seeing something similar before, but can't quite put her finger on it… before trying to allocate the memory, he's answering her. "Well this vain bird is having a hard time trying to remember not call you how he's been calling you for almost 20 years" His eyes soften now, and she feels her heart beat faster, the way it's happened for some time now. "Thanks for letting me stay, Maleficent. I wouldn't be at ease not knowing how you are doing, you know?" She smiles fully now, the way she only does around him. "I'm the one who is thankful Diaval; and besides, my wings need me to spend more time flying so I appreciate that you volunteered for it". He's a little embarrassed now, she can tell the way he looks down at the ground and how his shoulders rise the tiniest of ways. Knowing how he feels for her but not letting herself act on it, Maleficent turns her attention at the clearing again; her little beastie trying to get Phillip close enough to introduce him to Balthazar unsuccessfully. After the many things that happened on the last week, she's ready for a flight; and like always, Diaval knows what she's thinking.

"So… let's fly then?" The moment those 4 words leave his lips; she's hit by the memory of a forgotten dream. The dream of the man with the dark hair and the funny-looking nose; the winged man. That childhood dream… that innocent illusion of a life where every feeling is pure and untainted. Visions are seldom all they seem… and yet again, the man is standing right in front of her, as real as her wings are on her back. Maleficent looks at Diaval then, with intensity enough to make him look comically afraid. The black hair and eyes… gentle eyes, clever eyes that have looked over her for almost 20 years. His beak-like nose, statement of his true nature; a sign of the raven inside the man. Could it be true then? Could he be the one she's met before? She lifts a hand now, contouring his face with her fingers without touching him, drawing in the details of his face like it's the first time she's noted him.

"Is this a bad moment for a fly, or are you thinking about how you can no longer turn me into a mealy worm?" He smirks at her as Maleficent lets her hand drop slowly back to her side. She's sure now, she dreamt of him before… so the faery lets her heart soar with the hope of a feeling she thought didn't exist. True love might be real, if she gives it a chance.

"No Diaval, this is the best moment for it." And as she says so, she holds her hand to him; nervous fingers extended at him. Diaval looks at her, slightly unsure to take them, but she raises an eyebrow and soon feels as he shyly holds her hand with no other reason but to go together. As she readies herself, she might as well chance it to speak her mind.

"Did you know we have met before, Diaval?" He angles his head again, clever eyes boring into her. "Have we?" She opens her wings now, the great span of them casting shadows on the ground. He readies himself at her side.

"We have…Once upon a dream" The shape-shifter looks confused now, but she only smiles and says: "I'll tell you about it later. Let's dance on the wind, Diaval". And as he nods, she can see that familiar gleam on his raven eyes, that gleam that means more to her than she ever let's on. Because she needs him, as much as he needs her; and that's alright. So they step off the cliff, and mid-way, he turns into a raven by his own free will. They have their wings now… and more important… they have each other.

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_Thanks a lot for reading! I realized that the movie ends with kinda the same thing Maleficent was doing as a child, playing with the twig dolls and all... with a flying partner, spinning around ;) also, i managed to get the lyrics of Once upon a dream there... how could i not try to? I would love if you could give me some feedback, just so i know if you'd like to see more from my writing... maybe i can try my hand at it :)_

_thanks again and i hope you enjoyed it n.n7_


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